Poem: “Ox Cart Man,” by Donald Hall 

Statement of the Whole:  Amazing to think about, but Backporch Education Podcast is now beginning its fourth Season!  Jason and Steve take a few minutes to lean back and think about where we have been, where we might go from here.  Join in the dreaming. 

Poem: “Work without Hope” by Samuel T. Coleridge 

Statement of the Whole:  Moving from the image of a car engine spread out on the back lawn to the inner workings of the inquisitive mind, Jason and Steve discuss how analysis and synthesis are both necessary to every lesson.  Pulling an idea apart and putting it back together keep learning from its dangerous extremes.  Listen as the Backporch breaks it down and puts it all back together again. 

Poem: “The Hippopotamus” by T.S. Eliot 

Statement of the Whole: When we began a while back to separate our lives into various spheres, especially as we moved education in the schools away from any form of religion, a new set of questions were birthed.  What role does the American church play in the education of the modern child?  Is it possible to teach children in a manner free of any religious instruction?  If it is, is this good?  Join in this long and important conversation with us. 

Poem: “Sonnets from the Portuguese, #23” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning 

Statement of the Whole: Would a teacher’s life be better or worse if Administrators disappeared from the Earth?  So begins a lively repartee between Jason and Steve, both of whom currently divide time at their respective schools between teaching and administrative duties.  Why do we need such people?  How are their duties best attended to?  If an administrator holds a faculty meeting in the woods, will teachers still have to come?  Join us for these and many more compelling questions.

Poem: “To a Critic” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 

Statement of the Whole: In this episode, an article sparks lively discussion between Jason and Steve on what it will take to revive the love of literature in our day. Why do so many people dislike literature today?  How can we change this?  What kinds of literature are better suited for us to love?  This and much more fly around the rocking chairs on the Backporch Education podcast. 

The Article that got us going: Taking Literature Personally by Dwight Lindley

Poem: “The Third Day” by Edith Lovejoy Pearce 

Statement of the Whole: Recently an Italian artist sold an “immaterial sculpture” for about $18,000 and the Backporch dudes let the fun begin.  Join them in a far-ranging discussion about this moment in art and education history.  Did he sell nothing or a “vacuum”?  Is this legit?  What did the buyer get?  The questions just keep coming, a perhaps the beginnings of some answers as well.  Pull up a chair and have fun with us. 

Yet Another Farming Metaphor 

Poem: from “The Church Porch” by George Herbert 

When thou dost purpose aught, within thy power, Be sure to do it, though it be but small: Constancy knits the bones, and makes us stour / When wanton pleasures beckon us to thrall. Who breaks his own bond, forfeiteth himself: What nature made a ship, he makes a shelf. 

Statement of the Whole:  In agriculture, every farmer knows you need margins: spaces between your fields.  The carefully planted crop needs some wildness, some weeds, some room about it to flourish.  So goes the classroom as well.  In this episode, Jason and Steve walk out into the fields to see what can be learned about the margins of the classroom.  Put your boots on and come with us. 

Poem: “The Master Speed,” by Robert Frost 

Statement of the Whole:  Every teacher knows that moment when one or many students demonstrate that the lesson was not learned, or misunderstood, or missed.  What do we do when this happens?  What are the common causes for such?  What are strategies for our teaching that will help us in these murky waters?  Jason and Steve discuss such things in this episode. 

Poem: “Story Telling” by Edgar A. Guest 

Statement of the Whole:  Home schooling can be daunting to those considering for their children, but it can also be one of the most rewarding adventures of you and your child’s life.  Join Steve as he interviews Lisa Bailey about her own experiences educating her two daughters, and the community that helped host the adventure: Classical Conversations.  Enjoy the stories and practical direction with a nice big glass of ice tea! 

Our Annual Teacher Appreciation Week Episode

Poem: “Like Snow” by Wendell Berry 

Statement of the Whole: In our annual “Teacher Appreciation Week” show, we discuss what it means to appreciate, to show honor to, our teachers.  What is the difference between a gift of honor and a gratuity?  Why did Socrates warn against paying teachers for their teaching?  What does Christ’s distinction between the shepherd and the hireling have to do with teaching?  All this and more is discussed in an attempt to appreciate what teachers do.